Treyarch has confirmed that the recently-released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is getting a Ranked Play mode, but fans will have to wait until 2023 to play it. Some may be confused about Treyarch handling Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play, but it's worth pointing out that every Call of Duty game is a collaborative effort from multiple studios under the Activision umbrella.
While Treyarch is perhaps best known by Call of Duty fans for its Black Ops sub-series of games, the studio also had a hand in working on content for Call of Duty: Vanguard. In fact, Treyarch handled Call of Duty: Vanguard's Ranked mode as well, so it makes sense that the studio would be doing the same for the Modern Warfare 2 version of the feature. Besides confirming that Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play would be coming in 2023, Treyarch also revealed some details about what it will entail.
Treyarch explained that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play will include competitive game modes, skill divisions, skill ratings, a top 250 leaderboard, and special rewards. More details on these rewards will come at a later date. In the meantime, Treyarch also confirmed that support for Ranked in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard is coming to an end, and Call of Duty fans will want to claim their rewards in those games by November 22.
Hardcore Call of Duty fans will be happy to learn that Ranked Play is coming to Modern Warfare 2, though some may be confused about it taking until 2023 to launch. After all, Activision typically releases a new Call of Duty game every year, so it seems that it wouldn't take long at all for Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play to become obsolete. However, industry insiders have insisted that Call of Duty is abandoning its annual release schedule and that 2023 will see continued focus on Modern Warfare 2 instead, which could better explain the decision. It's worth mentioning that Activision has denied reports that there will be no new Call of Duty game in 2023, so fans should keep that in mind.
Some fans have said that Ranked Play could be a great compromise for the Call of Duty skill-based matchmaking controversy, but it won't be the case for Modern Warfare 2. There's been no indication that Modern Warfare 2 SBMM in quick play will be changed at all with the launch of a dedicated Ranked mode, and it's unlikely that SBMM will go away any time soon, if ever.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.